


Scorpius' Secret

by imera



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-10
Updated: 2011-09-10
Packaged: 2019-10-05 07:55:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17321015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imera/pseuds/imera
Summary: Knowing that Harry would never touch him Scorpius developed a plot to spend one night with Harry. His plan worked, but he soon realized he got more than he bargained for





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a hpsmfest fest.
> 
>  
> 
> 2019 AN: I'd like to say that this is far from my favourite story written, over the years I've gotten complaints which I agree with. Sadly this is the result of a story rushed for a fest, as well as a pairing I've never fallen in love with, for some strange reason. This was also the first story I wrote with the next gen pairing.
> 
> If anyone likes this story then good for you, I like that people can enjoy different things.

Scorpius buried his face deeper into his warm scarf as the blizzard suddenly grew stronger; apprehension ran through his body as he feared he would fall over in the thick snow from the strong gusts of wind, and in that second he honestly thought of calling for help. But his father's words stopped him,  _ Malfoy's do not show weakness _ .

While he respected his father he found himself cursing the man for the insane amount of land he had bought lately. Before his father decided to expand the property, it would only take Scorpius a minute to walk from the gates to the house, but now, with all the extra land, it took him a good four to five minutes, and that was on a sunny day. On days such as today, however, with gale force winds and heavy flurries of snow, it was taking him a considerable amount longer; he had been walking for over twenty minutes now and he wasn't sure how much he had left before he would reach the front door.

With his face half-hidden in his scarf, he finally managed to find the entrance after about forty minutes. As quickly as he could, he entered the house and shook off the snow that was slowly melting in the heat of the manor.

The first thing he saw after he hanged up his cloak were his school trunks. For a second he wondered why the house elf hadn't brought them to his room, but then he remembered who his father was and what his methods of punishment were; manual labour.

Now that he was seventeen, all Scorpius wanted to do was use his magic legally, especially for Apparating. When his father had come to pick him up from Kings Cross station, Scorpius had requested to Apparate home. This wasn't taken easily by his father; Draco still saw his son as his little boy. He knew that the reason why his trunks were waiting in the hallway was because he was supposed to pull them up to his room as a punishment; and if he knew his father he had already placed several spells over his trunks so that he couldn't use magic.

Suddenly he heard voices coming from the study, and even if he was exhausted from the walk he decided to check it out. If he was lucky one of the voices might belong to his grandfather, and he was always happy to see his grandson.

Scorpius made his way over to his father's study and knocked twice before rudely entering. It didn't take him more than a second to realize his mistake when he saw the dark haired man standing besides his father. Quickly his eyes travelled over the guest, trying to put a name to the face. Thanks to his father he knew all the names of anyone worth knowing in the wizarding world and quickly recognized Harry Potter, the Auror.

Scorpius wanted to leave the room as quickly as possible; his father didn't appreciate anybody interrupting him when he had guests, so when he waved Scorpius over he couldn't hide his shock at being invited in.

"Potter, I'd like you to meet my son, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." Scorpius looked at Harry and couldn't help feeling nervous; the pictures did not do the man justice. Harry Potter was tall, thin but still muscular, he had fine lines around his face, and his hair was dark and wild. If his father hadn't once told him that he and Potter used to be in the same year together at school, he would have guessed that Harry was older than his father, but in a good way.

Before he became too lost in his thoughts he offered his hand to greet Harry. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter." Harry looked at Scorpius' hand for a second before quickly turning his gaze to Scorpius' father. Scorpius thought it was strange that Harry didn't greet him but quickly shrugged it off and watched the wild hair move instead.

"Alright, Potter, I think the paperwork is done, if there is anything else on your mind you can either contact me or wait till Monday." Harry nodded before quickly turning away from them and walking over to the fireplace.

"Malfoy," Harry nodded to both before he stepped into the green flames that were awaiting him. Scorpius continued to stare for a few seconds after Harry was gone; there was something in the way he walked and acted that sent chills through his body.

"I thought you said you don't bring work home," Scorpius asked his father when he was done staring at the heavily decorated but empty fireplace.

"I don't, but this is a different case."

"Different, how so?"

"He's an old friend," Draco quickly responded in his  _ this-conversation-is-over  _ voice. Scorpius stared at his father for a few seconds, wondering what he was hiding. The few times he had mentioned Harry he always called him an acquaintance, never a friend.

"So what did he want?" Scorpius knew that based on his father's voice he might not answer him, so when Draco looked up at Scorpius and prepared himself for a short speech Scorpius was shocked for the second time that evening.

"You might as well know; it will be all over the news papers next week anyway. Mr Potter divorced from his wife, and he just signed the last piece of paper a few minutes ago." Scorpius stared at his father and hoped he wouldn't be able to see how pleased he was. Harry Potter was divorced, and if his senses weren't completely off he was gay as well, or at least bisexual.

Thinking about Harry's sexuality made him wonder if his father had ever had any relationship with the man; that could explain the visit and the refusal to talk about Harry. But that was just a silly thought; Draco had never been interested in anyone besides his mother.

"Why?" Scorpius knew his father never revealed such information but that didn't mean he wouldn't ask.

"That is private information, Scorpius," his father said with a serious look before he turned his attention back to the papers in front of him. Scorpius took that as a sign and left the office to start on his punishment.

When he finally managed to pull all of his trunks up to his room, he exhaustedly let himself fall down on the bed. Scorpius was sure that if his father had the chance he would have cast a weighty spell on it as well for digging for answers in Harry's case. After yawning he closed his eyes just for a second, but that second was enough to send him into dreamland.

When he woke up later that evening he realized he was late for dinner, which earned him another speech on etiquette by his mother.

Normally he would find her speeches annoying and a waste of time, but she said something that evening that opened his eyes.

"A Malfoy does not behave like a commoner, Scorpius. A Malfoy is proud and knows what they want, and a Malfoy always gets what they want. Do you know what I want Scorpius? I want you to arrive to dinner on time."

While eating dinner he couldn't stop thinking about his mother's words,  _ A Malfoy always gets what he wants, _ and he wanted Harry.

Scorpius thought that getting into Harry's pants would be easy, because who wouldn't want the heir of Malfoy in their bed? His plan was close to complete when he discovered a major hole in it. He realized he should have known it before, but Harry's beautiful tousled hair had distracted him. He was sitting with his father in his study, discussing his future when the conversation slowly moved towards Harry. It was only when Scorpius asked why Harry behaved so strange around him that his father told him Harry would never touch a Malfoy under any circumstance.

So with that piece of information Scorpius had to plan his approach to Harry again, it wouldn't be easy but a Malfoy always got what he wanted.

-o-

It took Scorpius approximately five months to complete his plan; most of that time went to completing the exortus potion that would alter his appearance for a whole day. It wasn't like the polyjuice potion where the person would change into a copy of someone else; the exortus potion was a mild but long lasting appearance changing potion. The flaws were that you never knew what you would look like, but since Scorpius only wanted a one-night-stand he doubted he needed to worry.

On the Friday after his third N.E.W.T., he used his free pass note from his father and Disapparated to London where he knew Harry spent his Fridays before he went home, sometimes alone and other times with a lucky bloke. Scorpius had spent all his money on a private investigator but if he got into Harry's pants it would be money well spent.

As he entered the muggle bar he made sure his hair stayed hidden beneath his cloak, if Harry saw the signature Malfoy blond hair he would certainly leave before Scorpius could even use the exortus potion. Quickly Scorpois made his way into the toilet and locked the door, removed the cloak and retrieved the vial with the purple exortus potion. When he uncorked the vial he quickly swallowed it before he got a chance to recognize the sickly acid flavour.

Scorpius winced as the potion started to change his body; while the changes weren't big they did alter him. When he looked up in the mirror he saw the shape of his face turn from pointy to square and his skin colour darkened slightly. His eyes changed to dark brown while his hair stayed almost the same. If there was something he had hoped would change it would be his hair; after all, not many were in possession of such blond hair without being associated with the Malfoy family. While he did look different he feared the similarities were too close for anyone to be fooled, but he took the chance anyway. Taking a last look at himself he found the fake ID and changed the photo and name; he certainly didn't want to be thrown out of the bar when he was so close to Harry.

Quickly he removed the hair product that kept his hair slicked back like his father's, and changed into something that didn't look like it belonged in his wardrobe. When he was pleased about his look he took a few deep breaths before walking into the bar.

It didn't take him long to locate Harry at the bar; nobody else had such dark and wild hair. Slowly he walked over and sat down two chairs away from the raven haired man; he didn't want to seem too desperate. Because of the reflections from the glass cases behind the bar Scorpius could easily see that Harry was staring at him, but he refused to look over right then. It wasn't until his drink arrived that Scorpius gathered enough courage to look at Harry. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned his head to the side, and when their eyes met he gave Harry a nervous smile before turning back to his drink.

He must have sat like that for fifteen minutes before he dared to look over at Harry again; but to Scorpius' disappointment Harry was not staring at him.

As he started on his second drink he started to worry that Harry might leave the bar before he had a chance to even talk with him. Nervous, he looked up again and moved closer to the man until he was sitting right next to him. Scorpius tried to act normal as he turned towards Harry, who seemed to be unaffected by his approach.

"Hi," he said nervously, "I'm Scott." Harry turned towards him and stared for a few seconds before he finally greeted him.

"I'm James." Scorpius found it extremely strange that Harry used another name, especially in the muggle world but decided to ignore it; the man probably had his reasons. Harry turned back to watch the wall while Scorpius glanced up at him, wondering what to say next; because he had no idea what kind of man Harry liked, he had to guess, and he ended up spelling his desires at once.

"Do you want to come back to my place?" he gushed out. Scorpius held his breath as Harry turned back towards him and stared for what seemed like forever. Instead of answering Scorpius, Harry found his wallet and paid the bartender before he walked away from the bar. Every spark of hope vanished from Scorpius as Harry walked away from him. He'd had his chance and he'd spoilt it by suggesting they would do something as primitive as heading back to his place after little to no conversation.

"Are you coming, Scott?" Scorpius heard from behind him. At first he didn't turn around because he feared it was only his mind playing a cruel trick on him, but after a few seconds he slowly took the chance and saw Harry by the door, waiting for Scorpius to join him.

As soon as Scorpius realized this was actually happening, he jumped off the chair and left the bar with Harry. They walked side by side until they reached the hotel room that Scorpius had rented.

Scorpius knew that if he was supposed to pass for a muggle he would have to avoid using his wand or any kind of magic, and while he hated it he thought he did rather well. Using the elevator and key wasn't that difficult, even turning the lights on was easy once he'd found the switch. While he didn't want to give up magic he was sure he would be able to live like that for a short amount of time.

"Are you from around here?" Scorpius asked, hoping that Harry would open up.

Harry stared at Scorpius for a second before answering him with a short and stiff, "No."

Scorpius cocked his head to one side at the brief answer. "You don't talk much do you?" he questioned lightly. At that Harry only shook his head, and continued to stare around the room. Scorpius had opted for a small room since he didn't want Harry to be suspicious.

He watched the other man for a few seconds before deciding to take a chance.

"I'm new at this, being with men I mean," he said quietly. It wasn't completely true but Harry need never find out. "Do you..." Suddenly the room felt warmer than before and he found it difficult to breathe; he had never needed to court another man before, the others had been boys and were easy to lead. "Do you want to join me?" he finally managed to get out.

Scorpius looked up at Harry who was standing on the other side of the room. At first he thought Harry would decide to leave just like he thought he did in the bar, but then the man walked over to him and started to kiss him passionately.

When their lips touched Scorpius thought he was going to die. He had never felt lips like Harry's... they were strong and soft all at the same time, and they were experienced; a nice change from the boyish and shy lips he had kissed before.

Before he knew it Harry pressed his upper body against Scorpius' until Scorpius had to lie down on the sofa so he wouldn't get crushed. Harry's hand found its way beneath Scorpius' shirt and travelled up to his nipple. At that Scorpius couldn't hold in his gasp; the sensation of Harry's calloused hands over his smooth skin was indescribable. He knew then that his night with Harry would be like nothing he had experienced before.

Slowly Harry started to undress him until Scorpius was naked in the embrace of the older man, and when Harry was half naked Scorpius was lifted up and carried over to the bed.

Scorpius stared at Harry as the man pulled out a tube out of his pocket. Scorpius was sure it hadn't been there a few seconds ago, but he knew he had to ignore it so Harry wouldn't discover his true identity of being a wizard. Slowly and sensuously, Harry poured out some of the liquid before he joined Scorpius on the bed. He slowly spread Scorpius legs open before he caressed his entrance with the coated fingers.

As soon as the fingers touched him, Scorpius started to moan out in pleasure; nobody had ever touched him there and it felt oh-so sensitive. It didn't take him long before he fisted the coverlets and started to tremble in pleasure.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked. The only answer Scorpius was able to give was a short nod. "Have you been fucked before?" Scorpius' eyes shot open and he stared at Harry, unsure if he wanted to lie or not, but he decided to go with the truth so he shook his head. The truth was that he himself had fucked three people, but he had never let them touch him. Not because he didn't want them to, but because they were weaker and didn't want to try it out.

"Don't worry; I'll take good care of you." It was the last thing Harry said before he covered Scorpius' body with hot kisses.

Scorpius had no idea how long Harry played with him before he finally removed his trousers. Scorpius stared at Harry's naked body and felt his cock jump. The man's body was well built, tanned, muscular and not too hairy, much more mature compared to the others he had been with.

As much as he enjoyed staring at Harry his thoughts was interrupted when Harry moved down and gave his teenage body more attention; Scorpius thought he had died and gone to heaven.

Slowly Harry prepared Scorpius for their first time together; making sure Scorpius was well stretched before he did anything.

"Do you have protection?" Harry asked suddenly. Scorpius couldn't help the confusion that laced his brain;  _ Protection against what? _ It must be one of those muggle things so he shook his head. "Shit, I forgot to bring condoms as well." To Scorpius' horror Harry started to move off the bed, making him wish he had answered yes instead. Desperately he tried to recall any memory of Muggle customs during sex; he continued to think, until he recalled something one of his school friends had told him once; the protection was to keep the semen away from Scorpius.

"I'm safe, healthy," Scorpius confirmed hurriedly. According to his friend, muggles used protection to keep viruses from spreading through sex. Harry turned towards him and stared at Scorpius' naked body intently.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly. "I'm quite sure I don't have anything, but that doesn't mean I can put you in danger of catching anything."

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning," Scorpius said desperately, trying to keep the whine out of his tone, "and I really don't want this night to end like this."

Harry took a few more seconds to think before he crawled back onto the bed. If Scorpius wasn't turned on by Harry's body he might have cheered, but as the man slowly closed up on him he could only mewl in pleasure.

Slowly Harry continued to prepare Scorpius before he finally moved between his legs and gave Scorpius a night he would never forget.

Scorpius didn't want the night to end, but after their second round in bed Harry got up, dressed himself and bid Scorpius farewell before leaving. Scorpius sat in the same position and watched the door, shocked at how the night ended; he thought Harry might want to relax.

After a few minutes where he was still in shock, he managed to snap himself out of it and attempt to sleep; the night had been long and he was exhausted. Even though he was shocked at Harry's exit he was happy, for he had succeeded in doing something he thought was impossible; he'd managed to get Harry Potter to sleep with him, a Malfoy. Of course he was tricked into it, but he still felt joy over the fact that Harry had slept with him.

With the memories of their night together fresh in his mind, Scorpius fell into a deep and happy sleep.

-o-

A few weeks later school was over; Scorpius had managed to get almost perfect scores on all of his exams and was now waiting for the headmaster to finish up his speech. However, half way through the speech Scorpius started to feel ill.

He'd been feeling ill a lot lately, especially in the morning, but it always became better so he didn't think much of it. But this time it was worse than before. He had all the symptoms he usually had, sickness, a need to throw up, pain throughout his back, but be also felt like he was about to pass out.

Somehow he managed to get through the whole speech by drinking water, but when the cheering began he lost the little control he had over himself and fell into a darkness he hadn't experienced before.

When he finally woke up he heard whispering voices around him, and quickly realized that one of the voices belonged to his head of house. When he opened his eyes he realized he was in the infirmary, which explained why the cheering had stopped, but now he was wondering how and why he was laying on the sterilized bed.

"Mr Malfoy!" the school nurse barked at him as he tried to move off the bed. "You are not allowed to leave that bed for at least another hour." Scorpius rarely visited the infirmary, but the few times he had need to seek out the nurse taught him that Pomfrey, as old as she was, was a strong and tough woman, and anyone who dared to disobey her would feel her rage. Quickly he moved his legs back under the coverlets and waited.

Hestia Carrow, his head of house, walked up next to him and stared at him with a worried expression.

"Mr Malfoy, do you know why you're here?" Scorpius took a few seconds to think about it and realized he must have passed out. When he assured her that he knew what happened he thought he was able to leave, but that was not the case. "While you were unconscious Pomfrey took a few tests to make sure you hadn't hurt yourself, and she made a big discovery."

"What do you mean?" Nervously he looked back and forth between the two women, happy that there wasn't anyone else in the room.

"She discovered that you are currently pregnant."

Fear as cold as ice ran through him when he heard what the nurse had discovered. At first he thought it was a mistake, or a joke; but then he started to think about his illness. He didn't know much about pregnancies but the few things he knew was enough to confirm that they were in fact not lying.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Mr. Malfoy?" Somehow Scorpius managed to nod; his head of house wouldn't lie to him, not to a fellow Slytherin.

"Carrow, why don't you go to the headmaster and inform him about the new situation, I'll take care of Mr Malfoy."

Scorpius kept staring at his lap as his head of house left, and kept staring when Pomfrey started to talk.

"Mr Malfoy," she said while lightly shaking him. "Listen to me, Mr Malfoy." Somehow he managed to snap out of his strange state. "Listen carefully to me, Mr Malfoy. As you may or may not know, a pregnant person is not only responsible for oneself, but also for a second life, a small foetus that is helpless. Girls usually learn this by just being girls, while boys never care much about motherhood because of the mental difference.

"I will try my best to teach you what to do and what not to do while pregnant. At times you might hate being pregnant but trust me; not all women love their own pregnancy. Before I start, do you wish to tell me who the second father is?" Scorpius was just about to tell her when he realized that he couldn't tell anyone about it. After all, he had tricked Harry into sleeping with him, if anyone found out both the Malfoy and Potter name would be disgraced.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius said hoarsely, "but I can't tell you."

"I respect your choice, Mr Malfoy, but you need to tell me if it's a student."

"It's not."

She scrutinised him for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Now let me see, where to start..." That was the beginning of what Scorpius thought would never end. While most of the information was pretty basic he couldn't help wondering why women wanted to go through a pregnancy.

Pomfrey told him what would happen towards the end of his pregnancy, how the magic would open up a second passage where the baby would be born through, and the pain during birth. Her goal was to educate him but she failed; instead she had managed to scare him, and as soon as he could ask questions, he immediately asked about abortion.

Scorpius wasn't stupid and knew at once that the witch did not approve of abortion, but that didn't stop her from telling him everything she knew. Even though he considered abortion he knew deep down he wouldn't be able to go through it. He might not be the nicest, most caring person in the world, but he didn't want to destroy a life, even if it wasn't born yet.

When Pomfrey was sure he understood what would happen to his body she ordered food to be brought up to him.

"Do you want me to tell your father?" Pomfrey asked gently. Since Scorpius had turned seventeen earlier that year, he was therefore considered legal, and now that school was officially over nobody could tell him what to do. For a second he wanted to say yes but then realized what shame he would bring to the family name.

"No, I'll tell him myself when the time is right," he said firmly. "Please don't tell anyone else about my condition?" Pomfrey smiled sweetly at him and promised never to tell anyone, it was after all Scorpius' choice.

When he was finally alone he laid back and tried to come up with a plan that could work for him, the baby and his family. Thinking about having a family made him realize that he had completely forgotten who the other father of the baby was. As nice as the fantasy was of him and Harry spending time together and taking care of the baby, he knew reality wouldn't be as simple.

The first thing he had to do was to find Harry and confess what he had done, that he had tricked him into bed. And then, if Harry didn't believe him he could go to St. Mungos and get one of the witches to perform an identification spell on the baby.

The rest of that day went into planning the meeting with Harry.

-o-

Scorpius was standing outside Harry's office; he was wearing dark grey robes that fit well on his body, but didn't show any signs of the pregnancy. Firmly he knocked on Harry's office door and waited.

When he finally entered he could clearly see that Harry didn't enjoy his presence.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" The way he said his name sent chills down Scorpius' back. But Scorpius refused to let Harry's cold tone stop him.

"I came because I have something important to tell you."

Harry arched a brow. "What?"

Scorpius cleared his mind while trying to get his emotions under control. He knew it would be difficult to stand before Harry but he thought the atmosphere wouldn't be as cold.

"I don't know how to start," he said awkwardly. "It's just... well, it's quite complicated. A few weeks ago I took a trip to London."

"I don't see how that has anything to do with me."

"That's the complicated part. You see, when I saw you for the first time at the manor I wanted to see you again." Scorpius took a deep breath; confessing was really difficult when he had no idea how Harry would react. "My father told me that you would never touch a Malfoy so I had to come up with a different plan. With the help of an appearance altering potion I pretended to be someone else. I... I was Scott."

If Harry was disturbed by this confession, he certainly didn't show it. "I have no idea what you're talking about Malfoy, please leave my office."

"But... I was Scott! You came to my hotel room, remember?"

"What are you implying Malfoy; that I would do something as demeaning as to follow a random bloke to his room? And what was I supposedly doing there?"

"You know -" Scorpius started, only to be rudely interrupted by Harry.

"I know well enough what people do in a hotel room Malfoy. But that isn't the point; the point is that you're accusing me for entering a room with another man. How many have you told this lie to? How many will be after me because they think I was in a room with a complete stranger?"

"Nobody knows about us."

Harry snorted. "There is no  _ us _ Malfoy, there never was and there never will be." Suddenly Harry stood up and started to walk around his desk towards Scorpius.

Scorpius backed up, suddenly frightened of the man's ire. "I...I didn't come to blackmail you or anything."

"Then what are you doing here with that lie?" growled Harry. "Did my ex-wife send you?"

"No! I came because I have something important to tell you!"

"So the idiotic lie about using a potion to change your look just so you could sleep with me wasn't the important thing?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"No, I just wanted to tell you how it happened first." Harry was finally standing in front of Scorpius, staring at him until Scorpius found it uncomfortable and had to look away.

"You can take your story and run back home to your father. What you thought happened never did."

"But I need to tell you -" Scorpius began before Harry grabbed him by his robes and pushed him into the wall.

"You don't need to tell me anything, Malfoy." Scorpius looked up at Harry and stared into his livid green eyes. "Now get out of my office." That was when Scorpius couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm pregnant," he said quickly.

Suddenly the cold atmosphere changed; while Harry was still holding Scorpius' robe, his glare had changed. Scorpius tried to read the emotions but Harry was excellent at holding back his deepest thoughts.

The change in Harry made Scorpius believe that the denial was over, but he quickly understood that Harry wouldn't give up.

"I wonder what poor loser you tricked into sleeping with you," the dark-haired man said nonchalantly.

Scorpius gazed up at him, mouth agape. "You... you can't say that."

"Why? Because you think I was that guy? You'd better get your head checked, Malfoy, because making up stories is not healthy."

"What do I have to do to prove it?" Scorpius cried in outrage. "I have my memories, you're in them. And I can take a test at St. Mungo's to prove to you that you're the father."

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. You changed your appearance in order to become closer to me, which can easily be compared to the fact that someone has probably used polyjuice potion to look like me; your proof has no value. And do you think that I'm going to be fooled by a simple test that can easily be manipulated so it will show that I'm the father?"

"I just want to..." Scorpius didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before Harry interrupted him.

"Let me tell you what you're going to do. Get your ass back to your father and confess; you better pray that he won't kick you out of your home for being the little whore that you are."

Scorpius didn't have a chance to say another word before Harry threw him out of his office. Scorpius wanted to knock on his door again but knew Harry wouldn't let him enter. His heart flew up to his throat as he realized that Harry wouldn't help him. Based on the few stories he had been told about Harry he thought he was noble and always helped the less fortunate.

He stared at the floor as he tried to process Harry's words; what would come of him and his bastard child? He knew he wouldn't be able to keep it once it was born, even if he wanted to.

Feeling tired and defeated he went back home, hoping that no one there would suspect a thing until he thought it was safe to tell them. When that time would be he didn't know; his father never approved of any sexual intercourse before marriage. Scorpius could kiss and fool around, but if he ever did anything he would pay dearly. So he had to keep his pregnancy a secret, as well as all the other romances Scorpius had during his school days.

-o-

Keeping his secret hidden wasn't difficult in the beginning, but as his belly started to grow he knew he had to move out. His father didn't want to listen at first; he loved Scorpius more than anything in the world, but in the end he had to give up.

Scorpius thought that once he was away from his parent's home things would be easier for him, that he could finally wear clothes that weren't hurting him. Somehow he managed to hide his condition, always buying clothes that could hide his secret.

It was during his seventh month that his body couldn't take it anymore and he collapsed in the middle of Diagon Alley whilst trying to complete his hectic Christmas shopping. Normally when something bad happened during his pregnancy he would call his private doctor and he would help him, but since he was in the middle of the street when he collapsed he was quickly rushed to St. Mungo's. Almost just as quickly, word travelled up to his father's office.

As soon as Draco Malfoy heard that his son was sent to St. Mungo's he rushed over there, only to be told to wait until Scorpius woke up. Furthermore, because his son was of legal age they couldn't tell Draco what was wrong with Scorpius without his agreement.

Harry was sitting in his office, filling out the paperwork for his latest arrest when he was interrupted by a small man called Benny Dulop. When Harry saw the smile on his lips he knew he had some juicy gossip. Harry wasn't one of those that enjoyed gossiping, but when Benny came to him he knew it must be something scandalous.

"Have you heard, Draco Malfoy's son is pregnant!" Harry wanted to say that he had known it for months, but he knew it would be a great mistake. Benny sat with Harry for thirty minutes, discussing who the father could be. As long as he wasn't mentioned as a possible father, Harry was happy.

Harry continued to sit in his chair after Benny left, thinking about what he had just heard. Because Scorpius collapsed in public people discovered his secret, so even if Scorpius told the nurses not to tell his father, Draco still would have heard it in the news. And the news was not taken lightly.

The guilt was tearing at his soul but Harry managed to ignore it. If the child really was his he couldn't be held responsible; Scorpius had tricked him into sleeping with him. Whatever happened to Scorpius, it was not his problem. He did not want to be a part of it.

He continued working as normal, trying his best to avoid any thoughts that went to the pregnant Scorpius.

Time passed slowly and before Harry knew it the Christmas holidays were right around the corner. Harry knew his holiday wouldn't be interrupted by an emergency call; he had worked overtime in order to be sure that they didn't have any valid reason to request his presence.

He was finishing the last of his paperwork when Benny once again knocked on his door. Deciding that he needed some gossip before he went home for Christmas he let him in.

"I'm shocked you haven't heard already; guess you're far to occupied with work." Harry wanted to lecture Benny but knew that the man would just ignore him. "Draco Malfoy has disowned his son and kicked him out; they say that he also took all of the money that Scorpius received as a gift from him."

While Benny continued talking about Scorpius and what a shame he'd brought to his family, Harry started to feel guilty. He didn't want to believe the unborn child was his, but deep down he knew it was. But did he really want to get involved with a second life? He loved the freedom he received from his current lifestyle.

"As much as I enjoy seeing the Malfoy family with a big scandal I do feel sorry for the boy," Benny said with a frown.

"How so?"

"The pregnancy has some difficulties, apparently the baby's blood poisons the boy's blood. The mediwitch have to clean out his blood twice a day, as well as the baby's. Not easy cleaning the blood of the baby, since babies are supposed to have fresh blood. But there isn't much he can do since the father is still a mystery. I guess cleaning their blood is a small victory, but everybody knows that it won't last."

"What will happen to them?"

"Well, they will probably have to take the baby early, hoping that it won't be damaged from being born so early, or the blood cleaning." If the disowning part wasn't enough to make Harry regret his actions towards Scorpius then the knowledge of his and the baby's health was the thing that made him feel worse.

He knew as soon as Benny had left that he had to take control of the situation. Draco had apparently decided to refuse helping his son during his most difficult time, but Harry wouldn't let him suffer, even if the baby turned out not to be his.

He knew he couldn't come out to the whole society about what he had done, so it had to be kept a secret. He found Luna and told her his secret; she was a mediwitch and could help him with the medical side of things. The first thing they did was to see if his blood was compatible with the baby's. While it was a medical test Harry thought it was the perfect way to see if he really was the father.

Harry thought he would be prepared for the results which would determine if he was the father, but when he heard that the test confirmed Scorpius' story he still felt shocked.

That was the beginning of a long and boring hour of blood giving. The baby would receive Harry's blood, which also helped Scorpius since he wouldn't have to go through the cleaning treatment four times each day; blood cleaning was exhausting and could slowly destroy the body.

Harry made sure Luna wouldn't tell anybody about his secret, and she would also keep Scorpius unaware as to where the blood came from. If the boy asked then she would say they found a match in the registry.

Harry was about to leave when Luna managed to stop him.

"I know he's not your responsibility, but since you confessed to me I thought I should make you aware of a growing problem. His father paid for his treatment, but that was before he found out the boy's secret. His treatment is paid for for another week, but when this week is over we won't be able to treat him anymore. His father removed him from his health care, and since he doesn't have anymore money we won't be able to do much for him, unless we decide to go against the rules." Harry knew what she was hoping to gain from him, and he also knew that he would eventually give in; he wasn't able to ignore someone who was completely alone in the world.

Scorpius was shocked to find out that they had finally found a blood donor, but whatever the blonde woman told him he knew deep down it was Harry; the first mediwitch told him the only blood they could use was the father's, since blood contained magic.

Christmas came and went, and Scorpius ended up spending it in his hospital bed with a mediwitch cleaning his blood. His family hadn't visited him; they didn't even care enough to send him a Christmas card. Scorpius had never felt more alone than he did during this Christmas.

Harry's emotions were not so dissimilar to Scorpius'. He knew his children had a difficult time with their parents separated, but he thought that they would at least ignore the emotional pain in order to have a nice day with him. As soon as the presents were opened they went into their rooms and stayed there. They didn't have to say a thing in order for Harry to know that their mother had planted lies in their brains. He knew what she could do and knew at once that he didn't have a chance. At least they didn't demand to go back to their mother.

So, even though he was in a house with three other people, those three people being his children, Harry couldn't help but feel immeasurably lonely.

Scorpius tried his best to keep his mood up so that his unborn child wouldn't be affected by him, but when January started he couldn't help feeling like he was completely alone in the world. Luna saw it and knew that the deeper he fell into depression the harder it would be for him when the child finally came. And because none of Scorpius' friends or family wanted to visit she knew she had to ask the only person that had a connection with him, even if it was a small connection.

"Absolutely not!"

"Harry, please, I know you don't want this but I don't see who else is able to help him!" Luna implored. "He will destroy himself and the baby if he continues like this."

"I'm giving away my blood and I'm paying for his medical treatment, I think that's enough."

"Please do it for me, just one visit, he needs company desperately." Harry could continue to refuse, but in the end his better side would win.

"Once and only once," he said after a moment's deliberation, and Luna couldn't help but jump up and down.

Scorpius never thought he would be so happy to hear that he had a visitor, but his happiness disappeared immediately when he realized it was Harry.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly. Although he knew Harry was the one who was giving his blood in order to save the baby he still didn't want to be near him.

"I thought you might need some company," Harry said casually, ignoring the annoyed expression on Scorpius' face. "So how are you?"

"Don't pretend like you care."

"I'm not pretending, Malfoy," said Harry quietly. He was finding it difficult to be in the young Malfoy's company without feeling the rage he had towards his father and grandfather. The thing that kept him relaxed was the knowledge of the baby.

"When they told me about the blood poisoning I knew I was in deep trouble," Scorpius said with a sigh. "Especially since they said that the only blood the baby could take was the blood from the other father." Harry continued to stay calm, even though he was angry because Scorpius knew the secret behind the blood. "I know what you think about me so I want to thank you because you're helping me; it can't be easy when you hate me."

When Scorpius was done with his speech, they sat in silence for some minutes before Harry finally broke the silence. "What will you do when the child is born?"

Scorpius turned away, suddenly feeling distraught and lonely. "Before my father found out about the pregnancy I was determined to keep the child, but I don't have any money now so I guess someone has to adopt it." Harry didn't want anything to do with the child but he knew that he didn't want it to grow up with a different family. However, Scorpius wouldn't be able to keep it if he didn't have money.

"So if you have the money you will keep it?" Harry wasn't trying to hide what his plan was, thus Scorpius guessed it immediately.

"No," he said firmly. "I won't accept it, the blood is enough, I don't want you to pity me; especially not after our last encounter."

Harry realized that the words he had previously said to Scorpius must have destroyed more of the boy than he was aware of, but since he couldn't take back his words the least he could do was to try and mend things between them now.

"Malfoy, do you really want to give away your baby?" Both of them knew the answer, but they also knew what Scorpius' answer would be.

"I can't take your money."

"If you want to continue in your father's footsteps, too proud to accept any help, then go ahead, but I will not stand here and watch you give the baby away to some strangers. The baby comes from two powerful families. Do you really want to give it away to a family that won't know how pure his or hers blood is?"

Harry had never cared about family blood when he was younger, but being married to Ginny opened his eyes to a completely different world.

"Of course I don't!" Scorpius shouted, and winced when he felt the strain in his stomach. He lowered his tone. "Is that what you want to hear? I don't have a choice, I can't take money from you, the blood is necessary since we can't survive without it, but I can't take more than that."

"I'm already paying for your medical bills, Malfoy."

"You don't have to do that; I don't need your help."

"You're a fool if you think that you can survive without help from your father or me," Harry stated. "Even without the baby you would still need a lot of money to have an enjoyable life."

"I can live simply," Scorpius countered, determined to win this argument.

"No, you couldn't. From the second you were born you've been given the best in life; you have no idea how it is to live without anything."

"I can work," Scorpius said before he was interrupted by Harry.

Harry found he couldn't take Scorpius' ignorance anymore, so he decided to say something he knew would hurt, just so he would get the silly dreams out of Scorpius' mind. He didn't mind that the boy thought he could do something by himself, it was actually a sign that Scorpius' frame of mind was pretty positive, but - from experience - Harry knew how cruel life could be. Plus, he didn't want his unborn child to grow up with someone else.

"Work isn't easy, Malfoy, unless of course you decide to work as a prostitute, but based on my experience I would say that you'd make more by working as the school caretaker at Hogwarts." He knew Scorpius was hurt, but he couldn't let the boy think that things would be easy only if he got a job, not even his father had it that easy.

"Shut up!" Scorpius cried out while trying to hide the tears that poured out of his eyes. He was shocked he still had tears since he had spent the last week crying every time he was alone.

"No, Malfoy, I won't shut up because you won't listen. Accept my offer, you will be able to keep the child, you will have a house and enough spending money to survive. This child was not planned but if you think that I will deny it then you're wrong." Even if the baby grew up in a family that made him believe they were his parents Harry would still feel like he had abandoned the child. Thinking about the baby now made him realize how unfair he'd acted towards Scorpius.

"No," Scorpius whispered.

"Don't make me angry, Scorpius," Harry cautioned. He didn't realize he had used Scorpius' first name until it was too late, but by then he didn't care anymore. "If you decide to give it away then I'll adopt it." That wasn't his first plan, but he refused to let Scorpius win. "And if I should adopt it then believe me, you will never see the child." Suddenly everything has changed; Harry, who was determined not to be involved with either the unborn child's or Scorpius' life, wanted to have them near.

Harry continued to try and change Scorpius' mind, and in the end he succeeded.

It took him two weeks but he was finally happy about how things would end. Scorpius would keep his child and move into a big cottage by the west coast that Harry would provide for him. Harry continued to visit Scorpius in the hospital every other day, to make sure that he wasn't starting to regret their agreement, but also to see him again.

One day when Harry entered Scorpius' room he found the blond sleeping. He was about to leave the room when he decided to take a look at the sleeping boy.

The longer he stared at the sleeping form the harder it was to walk away. In the end the only thing that was going through his mind was how beautiful he was. Harry had seen other people sleeping, but none of them came close to the angelic face in front of him.

Scorpius had inherited most of his looks from his father, but Harry could easily see the differences. His face wasn't as pointy, and his nose was slightly smaller. His eyes weren't the same shape as Draco's and, while it wasn't easy to see, he knew they were more like his mother's. Harry knew that with time his exterior would change and he would look more like his mother.

Harry watched the boy until Scorpius woke up from his nap.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius asked suspiciously.

"I always check on you," Harry answered, hoping Scorpius didn't see how regretful he actually felt. While he watched Scorpius sleep he realized that he had been acting like an ass. He thought he wanted his freedom, but slowly and over time he'd realized he wanted a loving family.

Ginny hadn't provided him with the comfort he needed, and in the end he feared a relationship as much as he feared dying every day during the war.

He adored his kids, but when Harry first moved out of their home they seemed to want nothing to do with him. At first he hadn't understood why, until he overheard Lily and James talk about Ginny's misfortune, and how cruel their father was for leaving her. Harry understood then that Ginny had poisoned their minds with lies and decided that she wouldn't get a single knut from him; that was why he had asked Draco for help.

"Do you have to glare at me like I'm some sort of prey," Scorpius mumbled, and pushed aside the covers before walking over to the tiny bathroom. Harry couldn't help but think back to when Ginny was pregnant; it was a glorious time, before her affairs.

When Scorpius returned Harry was sitting in the chair next to the bed. Since everyone discovered the truth about Scorpius that chair had only felt the warmth from Harry. Nobody dared visit Scorpius; not as long as Draco was still alive.

"How are you feeling today?" Harry asked like he always did, and he received the same sarcastic answer.

"Never felt better." They continued to sit in each other's company until Luna came in to start the blood cleaning for the baby. Luna decided that after Scorpius discovered Harry's identity they could sit in the same room while they cleaned the child's blood, it would be purer that way; or so she'd told them. Reality was that the effect was just as strong whether it was fresh or not; the reason why they were together was that Luna saw the potential in their relationship. She knew Scorpius would have a difficult time with his father, and she knew that Harry suffered greatly from his relationship with Ginny; maybe together they would help each other.


	2. Chapter 2

As time passed Harry found it more difficult to leave Scorpius' room. Somehow he managed to convince himself that Scorpius was suffering from the depression of being lonely and that he was the only one who cared.

While Scorpius found it difficult to be completely alone it wasn't as horrible as Harry imagined. The worst part with being alone was that he was pregnant. Time after time he cursed himself for being so careless, he should have protected himself from unwanted pregnancy; he knew that if two wizards shared enough magic a pregnancy was possible, but in the spur of the moment he forgot about that tiny detail.

At first he hated Harry's visits, mostly because of the way he was treated the day he confessed, but slowly he learned to enjoy Harry's presence. Of course, that didn't mean he liked Harry again; the man was nothing but a companion in a lonely period of Scorpius' life.

Slowly the days passed and the pregnancy would soon come to an end. Scorpius' body had changed in order to give birth, and he found it extremely strange to have a second entrance, but it wasn't meant to be something enjoyable so he ignored and endured it.

Scorpius prepared himself for the birth to start any moment in the last two weeks, but when it finally did happen, he was still surprised and felt immensely unprepared. At first he didn't want to bother the nurses, especially since he could barely manage to sit up in his bed. But the longer he waited the worse the pain became, and in the end he had to call for help.

A mediwitch called Maggie was the first to enter; at first she'd disliked Scorpius, but she soon discovered that he wasn't like his father and that changed her opinion. Over the last month they had learned to like each other to the extent that now Scorpius could call her a good friend.

"I bet this gives you new respect for women," she said in a playful tone. Scorpius wanted to say something just as witty back but his comment was stopped by another contraction.

That was the beginning of the most painful seven hours Scorpius had ever experienced, but with the help from Maggie, Luna and a nurse he hadn't met before he managed to give birth to a healthy baby boy.

Scorpius was too exhausted the first five minutes to realize it was all over, but as soon as he recognized the room and the people in it he realized he was now a father.

Luna smiled warmly while placing the infant in Scorpius' arms. His first thought were that it was strange to actually stare at the thing that has been kicking his bladder the last few months, and actually see that it was a small human.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Maggie asked softly. The truth was that Scorpius didn't think so; while he could see the beauty of a new life being born he did not like the scrunched face and the strange colour. Luckily for him Luna told him that babies rarely looked good in the beginning so he didn't worry about it.

"Well... Sometimes it's the inner beauty that counts," Scorpius answered. That joke earned him a slap across his head from Maggie.

"You're lucky you're holding him, if not then I would show you what I really think about you." They had a good laugh after that, until Scorpius felt too tired and had to sleep.

-o-

Draco disowned his son but people still talked about Scorpius as the heir to the Malfoy fortune, so when his son was born it was the number one gossip topic of the week. Because of that it didn't take long before Harry heard the news about Scorpius.

He was sitting in his office when Benny came rushing in. Based on the condition he was in Harry would have guessed he had been running around telling the news to everyone who would listen.

Harry knew that based on Benny's flustered state it was juicy news.

"The Malfoy family tree has a new addition," Benny said giddily. Somehow Harry managed to sit in the same position with almost the same expression as when Benny entered his office, but on the inside he was longing to see his new child.

Benny stayed for two minutes before he had to run; he wanted to be the first one to tell everyone so couldn't sit with Harry for too long. When the door closed behind him Harry quickly found his invisibility cloak and snuck out of his office. Since Luna was the only one to know who the father is he couldn't be seen rushing into Scorpius' room.

Somehow he managed to sneak into the room, but before he could reveal himself he had to wait till everyone but Scorpius had left the room. While everybody was occupied with Scorpius and his health Harry grabbed the chance and walked up to stand next to the infant.

When he saw the little face he couldn't help but to shed a few tears; this was his child. While he loved his older children he knew he might have lost them. After all, Ginny was a talented manipulator; something he had experienced since he had first met her without knowing it.

Harry stood beside his child for ten minutes before he was completely alone with Scorpius and the child. When he was sure they wouldn't come back he locked the door and removed the cloak.

"Scorpius," he said, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "How are you feeling?" When Scorpius finally opened his eyes Harry could see how exhausted he really was, but he had to talk with him before he gained all his energy; it was the only way Scorpius would sit and listen to him without trying to escape.

"I told them I didn't want any guests," the boy muttered.

"Nobody knows I'm here." Harry walked over to Scorpius and sat down on the chair next to his bed. "How are you feeling?" he repeated.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Scorpius tried to sit up but had to give up when he realized just how much his body hurt.

"Scorpius, I want to discuss our child."

"My child," Scorpius corrected sharply. "He became mine the day you kicked me out of your office, don't think that the blood you provided or the cottage will change any of that."

"If I didn't want anything to do with you I wouldn't have done all of those things."

"If that is the case, then I guess I won't be accepting the cottage," Scorpius said vehemently. "I don't want you to think you have any rights with my child."

"Don't be ridiculous, Scorpius," Harry said patiently. "Where would you stay if not in the cottage? You have no money." Scorpius knew too well how the reality was, but he also knew that he couldn't let Harry have his way.

"I'm sure Luna or Maggie will help me, at least until I can support myself."

"Why won't you let me help you?" Harry asked softly. He was beginning to realize that he wouldn't get his way, but as much as that hurt he didn't want Scorpius to vanish completely out of his life, especially not since he had their child. "I promise I won't get involved with your or the child's life."

"Why should I accept? You won't give up, that is one thing I have learned about you these past months."

"What do I need to do in order for you to trust me?"

"Never visit," Scorpius said immediately, but knew Harry wouldn't agree to that, especially since he was showing interest in being a part of his child's life.

"You know I won't accept that."

"Do you understand that I don't want you in his life? I'll never tell him about you."

"How on earth can you decide something as big as that now?" Harry asked disbelievingly.

"Because I decided it a long time ago," Scorpius said with finality. Unfortunately, Harry didn't pick up on the finality in his tone.

Harry looked hurt for a moment before he regained his impatient persona. "And you didn't tell me? What were you afraid of, that I would stop giving blood?"

"No," Scorpius said quickly. The truth was that he'd feared the loneliness, he'd feared the nights, and he'd feared the future. Scorpius wanted his old life back; but the pregnancy made him realize that even that life was unsatisfying. The pregnancy was almost the best thing that had happened to him. The only thing he regretted was not sending his money into a secret account so he would be able to support himself, even if it was only for a short period of time.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Harry pushed on.

"I..." Scorpius faltered before gathering enough courage to speak his mind. "I was afraid of telling you the truth; I thought you would stop visiting me."

Harry had to take a moment to think, and he slowly realized that Scorpius didn't like being alone. When he saw how fragile Scorpius really was, something deep inside of him exploded, and he wanted to comfort the young man.

"If I confess to everyone that I'm the father, will you let me be a part of your life?" Harry questioned quietly.

Scorpius sniffed, looking - for a scary moment - much like his father. "Confessing doesn't prove anything, it will only destroy you."

"Then marry me."

Scorpius suddenly found himself unable to speak. The only thing he could do was to stare at Harry in shock. And Harry was just as shocked; he thought that after Ginny he would never find anyone he trusted enough.

But the boy had proven his trustworthiness by not telling anyone who the father was, not even Benny knew anything about how Scorpius became pregnant. And unlike Ginny, Scorpius didn't try to manipulate him into doing what he wanted. Some might say that he did manipulate Harry into thinking he was someone else during the night they shared together, but Harry knew it wasn't anything near as bad as to what Ginny did.

So... maybe this was the right person for him.

"No," Scorpius said without thinking, and stared at Harry, still shocked about the proposal but also by his answer. He was sure that if he had a chance to think about it he would have accepted. He did like Harry, and deep down he really wanted him to be a part of his child's life.

"Are you sure?" Scorpius wanted to scream no, but instead he whispered a small yes. "I guess I'll just leave. I'll send you the location of the cottage, and don't be afraid; I won't try to interrupt your future life."

When Harry was outside the room he realized how unfairly he'd behaved; Scorpius was exhausted, he had just given birth to their son and he had been stuck in the hospital for months. Harry knew that if he should blame anyone it was himself, for manipulating the situation so he could talk with Scorpius without the boy running away; it was a cowardly move.

-o-

The proposal was the last thing that was said between them for a long time; Harry did eventually try to get in touch with Scorpius, to tell him how sorry he was, but the boy managed to change the wards around the cottage, refusing everybody entrance - even the owls.

Time passed slowly, and the days turned into years. Harry tried numerous times to get in touch with Scorpius, but the young man never removed the wards. In the end he thought that he would never be able to see Scorpius or their child again; and that was something Harry feared.

Three years after his fourth child was born he faced a scandalous public exposure. Ginny was getting tired of Harry's refusal to pay her and decided to feed lies to the press. Harry stayed quiet during their divorce, never telling anybody about what she had done; but once he heard her heartbreaking speech he decided that he could stay quiet no more.

Again he turned towards Draco, not knowing if the man would help him since they agreed that the divorce was payment for the life debt. But Draco agreed to help him without a second thought.

During their late night research, the theme of their conversation turned over to Scorpius. Harry would be lying if he said he hadn't tried to manipulate the conversation, but he was desperate.

Apparently, Draco hadn't heard a thing about Scorpius since the last time he'd seen him in St. Mungo's.

Harry thought it was strange but decided not to dig deeper; Draco wouldn't lie about something like that, not to Harry at least.

Slowly the case against Ginny was built and published; they took her to court and won. It was one of the most difficult times for Harry, seeing his children realize just how much their mother had lied, but Harry couldn't let her get away with it any more.

Across the country Scorpius was sitting in the living room with a copy of the Daily Prophet, reading about Harry's case against his ex-wife. When he was done with the article he stared at the picture, feeling extremely guilty for refusing him the opportunity to see their child. Harry had given a short speech about how sorry he felt for telling the public the truth since it would destroy Ginny, but he couldn't stand by and not do a thing, especially since their children had turned against him because of her lies. The one thing in his speech that hurt Scorpius the most was that Harry said his children were his life, and that without them he didn't care if he lived or not.

He sat like that for the next five minutes, thinking about the possibility of letting Harry visit. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by an attack from a very small but energetic and strong toddler.

"Lycus, what are you doing? Daddy is trying to think," he said while laughing. Lycus continued his attack and growled while trying to bite his father's leg. Scorpius realized it wouldn't help talking to him so he let the paper rest on the chair while he picked up his son and started to tickle him until his son begged for mercy.

"Come here, Lycus, I have an important thing to ask you." Scorpius placed his son on his lap and stared at him, amazed at how mixed his genes were. He did not have the famous face of a Malfoy, instead his head was more heart-shaped, like Harry's. His eyes were blue and his hair was blonde, that was the only thing that could expose him as a Malfoy.

"Do you want to meet a very special man?" Before he did anything he wanted Lycus' approval; the boy was old enough to know if he wanted to meet someone new. "He is a very special man, he has given me a lot of nice things."

"Like what?"

"Like our home, help when I was sick... and you." Scorpius ran his fingers across Lycus' face. If it wasn't for Harry he would never be able to live the fairytale he was currently living.

"Me?" Lycus said in the high pitched voice he used when he was confused. Scorpius quickly thought of a way to explain it to Lycus.

"Yes, Daddy had a horrible life before you. And one day I met this great man, who saw it and decided to help me. In the end I got this beautiful baby who can make his daddy smile even when his daddy is feeling sick; do you know who the baby is?"

"Me!" Lycus screamed while jumping up and down on his daddy's lap. Scorpius couldn't not smile at the excitement Lycus showed.

"That's right. Now, do you want to meet this man?" Scorpius could see that Lycus was thinking hard. However, his attention was suddenly diverted as his bright blue eyes flickered over to the window.

"Bird!" he suddenly screamed, pointing outside.

Scorpius chuckled at his son's attention span and glanced out the window. "Yes, a big eagle, but do you remember what I asked you?" Lycus scrunched his nose to think back at what his daddy asked him.

"The man," he said almost just as excited.

"You're such an intelligent boy," Scorpius said fondly. "So what do you say, can he come here?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Scorpius didn't have a chance to say anything else before Lycus jumped off his lap and ran to the door.

"He isn't coming today, Lycus," Scorpius called, smiling at his son's excitement. "I have to invite him first."

Lycus dragged his feet back into the room. "Oh. When?" he asked, a little disappointed.

"What about tomorrow? If he can make it, that is." Scorpius knew that Harry would come if he was invited. He had, after all, never given up trying to gain contact with him; Luna told Scorpius about all the times she had to help Harry sleep because he couldn't help thinking about what he had lost.

"I'm hungry," the boy whined as he waddled into the kitchen. Scorpius couldn't help but smile at how quickly his son forgot about the visitor; slowly he followed Lycus into the kitchen and started preparing dinner.

The only thing he could think about while cutting up the vegetables was what to write to Harry. How he could explain why he did what he did, refusing to let him to see Scorpius and their child. He knew that Harry would probably accept any excuse since he was finally allowed to see their child, but that wouldn't make Scorpius feel at ease.

When Lycus was sleeping Scorpius went and found his quill and parchment, and started writing one of the hardest letters he'd ever needed to write.

When he finally sent his owl with the letter it was late at night, and for a second he worried that the owl would interrupt Harry's sleep, but decided not to think about it more than necessary. Before he went to bed he changed the wards so they would allow owls to enter the property. He'd written at the end that he expected a reply before he allowed Harry to come.

Harry had never felt as alive as when he realized the letter that came to him was from Scorpius. With shaking hands he opened it and read it. Several times he had to stop reading because of the tears that were blurring his vision, and he had to read some sentences more than once, just to make sure he wasn't misunderstanding it.

Scorpius was sorry for what he had done to Harry, and he wanted him to come and visit him. Scorpius didn't write much about their son, only that he was three years old and extremely healthy.

When he was sure he hadn't missed or misunderstood anything he quickly grabbed his own quill and parchment and wrote his reply. Quickly he got his owl and sent his reply, hoping it wouldn't return with the letter attached to its leg. He watched his snowy owl fly away, and it was only when he couldn't see his owl any more that he went to his sofa and sat down, waiting for its return.

Scorpius hadn't expected an answer the same night so he had gone to sleep, only to be awaken by an owl knocking on his window with its beak.

When he realized where the noise came from he quickly got up and opened his window, allowing the owl to enter his bedroom.

Hastily he removed the letter from the owl's leg and ripped open the envelope. It didn't contain much, only that Harry was happy to finally hear from him and that he accepted the invitation, and would come the next day.

-o-

Scorpius found it difficult to sleep that night, so when Lycus woke him up at six he wasn't feeling too good, but that didn't keep him from getting up and preparing breakfast. Somehow Scorpius managed to forget about Harry until Lycus reminded him.

"Is the man coming today?" he asked hopefully with big, wide eyes.

"Yes, he is," Scorpius replied with a fake smile; he didn't want Lycus to worry. "I think Daddy needs to take a shower so I can wake up properly."

"I want to bathe," Lycus complained when Scorpius didn't say anything about him.

"Sure, when Daddy is finished you can take a long bubble bath, how about that?" Lycus started to jump up and down singing a song when he heard he was going to take a bath soon.

Scorpius stood as long as he was allowed to beneath the warm water; it wouldn't take long till Lycus thought he was spending too much time in the shower and would stand outside the door, begging for his bath.

After he prepared the bath for Lycus he stood in front of the mirror staring at himself, hoping Harry wouldn't comment on his looks. Living in a cottage without many visitors was not all that easy, and in the end he'd stopped taking care of every part of himself. He didn't look bad, but he wasn't close to the perfect image the Malfoy family always portrayed.

Before he knew it it was time for Harry's visit. Taking a last look around the cottage he made sure that it was in great condition, before he lowered the security around the cottage so much that Harry would be able to enter.

When Lycus was done with the bath he quickly got dressed and climbed up on a chair in front of the window where he stood impatiently, waiting for the mysterious stranger who gave him to his father, hoping he would bring something for him.

"He's here!" Lycus screamed when he saw a dark figure walk through the wards. Clumsily he tried to get off the chair he was standing on, only to fall and hit the floor. Luckily for Scorpius Lycus was more interested in seeing who the stranger was than about the pain he suffered from the fall.

Scorpius tried to breathe normally, but knowing that Harry was standing on the other side of the door was enough to stop his heart.

Then Harry knocked, sending all of Scorpius' blood to his head and making him feel dizzy.

Slowly he made his way to the door and opened it, staring up at Harry's green eyes.

"Hello, Scorpius," Harry said when Scorpius couldn't find the right words.

"Hi," Scorpius said hoarsely, only to be interrupted when he felt something tugging his legs. When he looked down he saw the face of his excited son. "Why don't you come in, I have one little guy who is excited to meet you."

Scorpius turned around and picked up Lycus since he wasn't willing to move in order for his father and the guest to enter their home.

"Lycus, this is Harry Potter; he is my good friend." He could see that Harry was having problems not crying when he saw the child, something he himself found moving. "And this is Lycus, my little monster." Lycus giggled when he heard his father add his pet name.

Harry stepped forward so he was closer to the child. "Hey, Lycus."

"Hi," Lycus said while hiding behind one of his arms. Lycus was naturally a very shy child, unless he was being ignored by the guests.

"I brought you something," Harry said through an unsure grin. When Lycus heard he was getting a gift he removed the hand from his face and waited with a big smile.

"You shouldn't have," Scorpius said quickly.

Harry glanced at Scorpius nervously. "I know, but I really wanted to. Now Lycus," he said, turning back to his son, "how are you at flying?"

"I'm so good! Always flying over the sea, and the forest, and daddy." Of course it was during play, but Harry understood that the boy enjoyed flying, which was everything he needed to know.

"That's great, because you, little man, are getting a broom." He found a small package in his pocket and placed in the floor; quickly he got his wand and reversed the shrinking spell. When the gift was back to normal size Lycus couldn't wait to open it, forcing Scorpius to release him.

Before they knew it the broom was out of the box and Lycus was trying to board it. The two older men walked over to the living room and sat down on the sofa, constantly keeping an eye on Lycus in case he should fail the first time he tried to ride the child broom.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius said as soon as they were sitting.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his messy locks. "I forgive you, and I'm sorry as well. I would also like to thank you, for letting me see the two of you." Scorpius didn't know what to do or say, so he smiled at Harry before staring at his lap again. "I've thought about you often, Scorpius, and how mean I was towards you."

Scorpius pushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear; it had grown slightly throughout his isolated stay in the cottage. "Don't; it's not like I haven't done anything wrong, so I don't blame you."

"You should, because instead of trying to understand you I got mad. I swear, Scorpius, that if I ever have a chance to go back and change the past I would."

"We both did things we regretted; let's just put it behind us and move on." Scorpius still avoided looking at Harry. He didn't know if he would be able to stop himself from crying if he caught that green gaze.

Suddenly Harry placed his hand over Scorpius', and when he did that Scorpius couldn't help looking up at Harry. They sat in complete silence for a few seconds before Harry softly caressed Scorpius' cheek, slowly moving towards Scorpius' lips. Scorpius felt his eyes closing automatically as Harry was caressing him. Besides Lycus and a few hugs from Luna and Maggie he hadn't had much human contact the last four years.

Scorpius felt the sofa move and a pair of warm lips were brushing across his lips before they kissed deeply. He was stuck between shock and longing, but luckily he managed to move his lips and return the kiss. The kiss slowly turned heated and passionate.

Suddenly they heard a loud crash and crying. Immediately, both jumped up and rushed into the kitchen, only to find Lycus covered in flour.

With the help of magic they removed all the flour and helped Lycus up. When Lycus was clean he didn't spend any time fooling around with tears, and quickly got up on the broom again before slowly directing it into the living room. Harry and Scorpius continued to stand in the kitchen while they watched Lycus.

Scorpius remembered when his father taught him to ride on a child broom; he was of course older than Lycus since his father feared he would fall and hurt himself. Thinking about his childhood made him sad; he always feared Lycus wasn't happy enough in their simple life, but Lycus had never experienced the rich life Scorpius grew up with, so he didn't miss anything.

"How did he get his name?" Harry finally asked, breaking the silence that Scorpius was starting to dislike.

"In my family we have a tradition where we call our children ancient names, ancient Greek or Roman names. Lycus has a Greek name, I have a Roman name, my father has a Greek name, and my grandfather has a Roman name; do you see the pattern?"

Harry smiled. "I do indeed."

"I also chose Lycus in honour of my grandfather; I... I don't know if you know but he's quite ill."

"Mmm, I heard," Harry said frowning; he wasn't sure how he felt about Lucius' illness. "But you know, they're saying he will be fine again."

Scorpius scoffed. "I'll believe it when I see it, not that I think I will ever be able to see him again."

"Why not?"

"Because he's just as proud as my father," Scorpius said bitterly. "In my family we marry, have sex and then have children."

Harry fidgeted awkwardly before saying quietly, "Will you still be an outcast if that list got mixed up?"

Scorpius looked at Harry, perplexed. "What?" Scorpius had no idea what Harry meant by that, and he was sure his expression conveyed his confusion.

"What I meant to say," Harry said in a calm and steady voice before he went down on one knee, "will you marry me?" And then he pulled out a small box that he had tucked down in his pocket and opened it, revealing an engagement ring. If it wasn't for the engagement ring Scorpius would have thought it was just like last time, a spur of the moment thing.

He could feel his eyes burning so he turned around so Harry wouldn't see his tears. He couldn't help fearing that the only reason Harry was asking him to marry him this time was because he was finally invited to see Lycus and that he didn't want to lose his child again.

"What's the matter, Scorpius?" asked Harry's soft voice; he sounded anxious. Since Scorpius wasn't facing Harry he couldn't be sure what the man was doing, but he thought he heard him move closer to him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Scorpius managed to say before he couldn't hold back his tears.

"Are... are you crying?" Scorpius wanted to say no but he knew that if he opened his mouth he would start sobbing uncontrollably. "Please speak to me; I don't want you to be sad." Scorpius wanted to run away, but he owed Harry the truth.

When he finally managed to calm down enough until he was able to speak he asked Harry an important question. "How long have you had that ring?"

"What?"

"When did you buy it?" he clarified. He feared Harry's bought it after he received the invitation, and if that was the case then he knew Harry wasn't serious.

"I bought it the last day I saw you, more than three years ago. I realized then how badly I behaved, and I wanted to show you that I really meant it. Please... tell me, what's your answer?" Harry's hands were now on Scorpius' shoulders, slowly massaging them.

"I..." Scorpius started, wanting to say yes but knowing it wasn't as easy as that. "I can't."

There was a pause before Harry said, "Why not?"

"Because," he started; only to stop once he realized he didn't have a good answer.

"Well?" Harry's hands continued to caress his shoulders, making it difficult for Scorpius to think. One way or another Scorpius managed to remove himself from Harry's soft hands. He hated the loss but he knew he couldn't think when the man was touching him like that.

"Because you will be ruined."

"Nobody can destroy me, Scorpius," Harry said with a coy smile. "My ex-wife tried, the Daily Prophet tried, the politicians tried; but I'm still standing. I've learned to live with it, and I have learned to handle it. Nobody will be able to take me down; not without a fight anyway."

"But... I have to think about Lycus, I don't want him to go through a bigger scandal than necessary. It's already bad enough," Scorpius said desperately.

"Listen, Scorpius," Harry started, slowly leading Scorpius into the living room, "you're afraid of me being hurt by the public; that will never happen. And about Lycus, and yourself, I will do my best to keep the press away from you; if anyone tries to say anything I'll make their life a living hell. I promise I will not allow anybody to spread rumours or gossip about you. Is there anything else that bothers you?"

Scorpius' mind flew back to three and a half years ago, when he'd first set eyes on Harry. "My father once told me that you would never touch a Malfoy. Why do you want to be married to one?"

Harry looked bashful as he spoke. "I never liked the Malfoy family, until I got to know you. You, Scorpius, are not a pure Malfoy; you're a good person, and you have a big heart. Of course, I don't mean to say anything bad about your family, but you are acting more like a human than all of them put together." Scorpius started thinking about all the times he wished his life was back to normal, and that made him sad. Of course he missed the money and things, but when he remembered all the happy times he had with Lycus he didn't feel the longing to be back in his old life.

"So... you like me?" Scorpius asked hesitantly.

"Like you?" Harry chuckled. "I more than like you. It's too early to say for sure, but... I think I'm in love with you." Scorpius had never expected Harry to say anything like that, and while it shocked him it made him feel incredibly giddy inside. Suddenly the room seemed a lot hotter and whenever he looked at Harry he got butterflies.

Lycus suddenly flew past them, breaking the silence when he screamed out in joy.

Harry grinned fondly at the boy before turning back to Scorpius. "So what is your answer? Do you want to marry me?"

Scorpius stared at Harry, unable to hide the big smile and tears. "Yes," he said while smiling. In an instant, Harry had pulled Scorpius towards him and gave the man in his arms a long and passionate kiss.

"Now, we have one more thing to do," Harry said when their kiss ended.

"What is that?"

"Tell your father." Scorpius wasn't sure if he should laugh or hide. Telling his father would not be an easy thing to do, especially since he said he would never speak to Scorpius ever again. But somehow Scorpius knew it would end well, now that Harry was by his side.

But Scorpius' father had to wait, the first thing they had to do was to make Lycus understand that their family would grow, and that he now had a father.

Two months after the proposal Harry and Scorpius walked up the long winding path to Malfoy manor. Harry had requested a private gathering between Draco, Astoria, himself and a guest; and Draco did not refuse the request.

Draco had not expected Scorpius to be the second guest, but he couldn't refuse him from entering the Malfoy manor since he was the extra guest. Astoria was of course thrilled to see her son again, but couldn't show her true emotions since Draco had forbidden her to show her true emotions towards their son.

At first Draco refused to look at his son, but that changed when he learned the secret his son and his school nemesis shared. At first he was furious, and that ended up in a hot argument with Harry. Harry had prepared himself for an attack so he knew which words to use and not use. In the end Draco calmed down, realizing how just how immature he had acted.

While the argument between Harry and Draco took place, Astoria managed to communicate with Scorpius, telling him that she loved him.

When Draco was finally calm Harry continued, telling him about how he had spent time with Scorpius and how he had helped him out. Slowly they reached the end of the story; their engagement.

The first thing Draco did was to demand the end of the engagement, since he did not want the family name to suffer even more. Harry had expected Draco to do something like that and told him just how much his family would gain from such a relationship. Malfoy and Potter were two of the strongest families; not only because of their reputation, but also because of the purity of the family line and magical strength. That thought did appeal to Draco's aristocratic side and in the end he gave his permission.

Now that Draco had accepted his son he could finally meet his grandson, something he enjoyed, once he overcame over the fact that his son was still unmarried. Astoria of course couldn't be more happy; she thought that she would die without having seen her grandson, so seeing the child's smiling face for the first time was like a blessing for her.

Astoria couldn't resist smiling at her family; her son was back, and she'd finally seen her first grandson. While she didn't know how she felt about Harry Potter being her son-in-law, she knew he cared a lot for Scorpius, and that made her extremely happy. Draco on the other hand cared only for magic and family lines.

The relationship between Scorpius and Harry grew fast, and anyone who saw them would say they were in love.

When they finally decided to tell the world about their relationship, and who the father of Lycus was, they met a lot of gossip; but Harry promised to protect Scorpius, and the gossip quickly died.

One person who was not happy about Harry's new relationship was Ginny. Every time someone mentioned Harry, or the Malfoy family, she got angry and refused to talk with that person again until she had calmed down.

Luckily for Harry he didn't hear much from Ginny, she had finally decided to leave him in peace. The best thing about her act was that their children finally realized just how much harm she had done, and slowly their relationship with their father grew.

Harry was more than happy that his life had turned out like he hoped it would in the first place; he would be married and have a great life, have children, and be happy.

And, for once in his life. He got exactly what he wished for.


End file.
